In known conductor line systems, a traveling electrical load travels along a conductor line. To supply the load with electrical power, the load is equipped with a current collector, whose sliding contacts engage conductor strands guided along the conductor line. The load can be, for example, transport gear of a suspended railway, a cable trolley movable on rails, or also so-called E-RTG container cranes, which are equipped with electric traction supplied with electrical power from the conductor line.
In order to be able to transmit data to the load, for example, control data, so-called slotted waveguides or leaky waveguides are guided in known conductor line systems parallel to the conductor strands engaged by antennas arranged on the load.
Thus, DE 10 2004 008 571 B4 discloses a support rail profile of a support rail designed as a double-T support with integrated slotted waveguides for data transmission in a conductor rail arrangement. The slotted waveguide is provided in the lower foot part of the support rail with a longitudinal slot pointing downward into which an antenna of the vehicle traveling along the support rail extends. Power rail holders, with power rails mounted therein, are arranged laterally on the support rails, i.e., rotated by 90° relative to the longitudinal slot.
DE 10 2011 119 351 A1 discloses a transport system with a rail-borne vehicle and rail profile parts of a rail system in which a slotted waveguide is arranged on a rail profile part and two antennas on the vehicle, which are spaced from each other in the rail direction and extend into the slotted waveguides, the rail profile part being designed straight. The slotted waveguide is also arranged there on a double-T support, spaced relative to the current-conducting conductor strands.
DE 10 2011 108 584 B1 discloses a data transmission arrangement with a slotted waveguide, which is fixedly mounted on a stationary installation part in the longitudinal direction. An antenna of a traveling mobile part extends into the longitudinal slot of the slotted waveguide and can be moved with the part lengthwise in the slotted waveguide.
DE 10 2012 002 085 A1 discloses a slotted waveguide for a rail vehicle movable along a rail with a longitudinal slot running laterally. In order to avoid penetration of dust and water into the longitudinal slot of the slotted waveguide, an offset deflection part is arranged on the otherwise 90° tilted T-shaped cavity so that the longitudinal slot is directed vertically downward after the deflection part. The antenna of the rail vehicle then engages the longitudinal slot vertically from below. The electromagnetic waves are, therefore, deflected by the deflection part from the T-shaped cavity profile downward to the longitudinal slot.
The technique of slotted waveguides for data transmission on rail-borne vehicles has long been known and follows, for example, from DE 25 55 909 C3; DE 29 18 178 A1; DE 33 23 984 A1; DE 30 12 790 C1; or also DE 35 05 469 C2 of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH and therefore need not be explained in detail.
A problem in slotted waveguides guided parallel to current-transmitting conductor lines is the disturbance in the data transmission in the slotted waveguide by power transmission to the current-conducting conductor line contacts. Since the conductor line contacts cannot always be guided precisely into the current-conducting conductor strands, short contact losses sometimes occur here between the conductor line contacts and the conductor strands, so that electrical current flow is not interrupted because of the small distances between the current conductor contacts and the conductor strands, but is continued through the air. This can lead to disturbances in data transmission. The hollow waveguides are, therefore, generally guided with a spacing relative to the current- and voltage-carrying conductor strands and sliding contacts.
However, this requires more room for mounting of the slotted waveguides, as follows, among others, from DE 10 2004 008 571 B4 and DE 10 2011 119 351 A1.
There is the additional drawback that, especially in conductor lines with conductor strands directed vertically downward and therefore conductor line contacts to be introduced from the bottom up, the movable antenna of the slotted waveguide also engages the usually downwardly opened T-shaped slotted waveguide from below. In order to obtain good data transmission the slot-like opening of the slotted waveguide must then be as narrow as possible. However, this means that only relatively limited deviation of the antenna from the desired average path is permitted in the lateral direction across the travel direction, since otherwise the antenna touches the slotted waveguide, which must be avoided in each case. To avoid this, in many applications the T-shaped slotted waveguide is tilted by 90° and therefore arranged with a horizontal opening slot, as shown in DE 10 2004 008 571 B4 and DE 10 2011 119 351 A1. However, this means that moisture and dirt can more readily collect on the lower opening slot of the slotted waveguide. In many arrangements it is also not possible for design reasons to make the slotted waveguide accessible from the side.
DE 10 2009 024 518 A1 discloses an automation unit in conveyor systems with means for power and data transmission between or from a stationary conductor rail and a mobile transport unit, as well as means to detect and determine the position of the mobile transport unit with reference to the path covered. The automation unit is supposed to reduce the investment and installation expense, in addition to offering greater operating and functional safety. For this purpose the conductor rail is integrated with the means for data transmission and position determination, to which objects for power takeoff, signal/data transmission and path detection are connected on the mobile transport unit.
DE 10 2010 048 586 A1 discloses a system with a rail-borne vehicle in which at least one waveguide is formed in one piece on the rail part for data transmission by excitation of at least one mode of the waveguide range.